Goa Forward leader Vijai Sardesai and leaders of INDIA Alliance leaders with Captain Viriato Fernandes offering prayers at the Damodar Temple, Fatorda before filing his nomination papers.
MARGAO
Accepting BJP’s challenge to make inroads into his bastion in the May 7 Lok Sabha polls, Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai said he will not only have a meeting of his workers from Fatorda to mobilize them for the ensuing polls, but make his presence felt in the gullies of neighbouring Margao to drum up support for INDIA Alliance candidate Captain Viriato Fernandes.
Reiterating that Brand Dempo is bigger than brand BJP, Sardesai conceded that some of the votes he polls in the Assembly election may go to Pallavi Dempo in the coming polls. He, however, sent a strong message to the BJP leaders that he has won as many as three times from Fatorda despite similar campaign against him by the ruling party. “It’s nothing new to see the BJP campaigning in Fatorda with Pallavi Dempo. I have won three elections from Fatorda. Even the BJP candidate may not know the people who are sitting in front at the meetings”, he said.
Praising BJP candidate Pallavi for her admission that employment is an issue in South Goa constituency, Sardesai said this only goes to prove the failure of the BJP government in addressing the issues of unemployment amongst the youth “Hats off to Pallavi for highlighting that unemployment is an issue in South Goa. The Chief Minister has been trying to ignore the fact the unemployment in Goa is one of the highest in the country”, he said.
When pointed out that neither the Goa Forward nor the INDIA Alliance has kicked off the poll campaign in Fatorda while the BJP has made repeated forays in his territory, Sardesai said, “My style of poll campaigning is different. May be the BJP is making presence felt in Fatorda just to keep the spirits of Pallavi high. We will take a workers meeting. And, hold a meeting in Margao as well after going through the gullies to mobilize support for Captain Viriato”.
When media further pointed out that Margao MLA Digambar Kamat has vowed to take a lead in both Margao and Fatorda, Sardesai shot back “I don’t talk about taking leads. We are humble politicians who go to the people seeking votes. All I can say is that Pallavi would have got more votes if Digambar was not in the BJP.”
